In "Decision Time," Editor Brian Lovett shares a scenario from his 20-plus years hunting turkeys. Each hinges on a critical decision. Post what choice you would have made, and then see how things actually turned out.
Conclusion: MRI Me ASAP

The timber option didn't thrill me. It was too iffy. The bushwhack scenario also had failure written all over it. So, I decided to stick with the original plan, hoping I could yelp in the breeding flock or attract the 7 a.m. gobbler.

And believe it or not, it worked. Within five minutes, a longbeard appeared at the corner of the pasture and surveyed the field. I gave him some soft calling, and he slowly walked toward the decoy. At 35 steps, he got suspicious and held his head high, but it was too late. Winchester's finest echoed through the valley, capping the hunt.

"You were right," I told my buddy, who had been watching the field from a nearby ridge. "He was there by 7 a.m."

"Yeah, and I'm glad," he replied. "If he wouldn't have shown up, I'd be kickin' you for not going after that bird on the other side."

I was figuring the gobbler with the hens was your bird and not the lone strutter. Unless something sends them off schedule, that corner of the field was probably one of that bird's favorite strutting areas. Glad to hear it worked out.